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When I was a kid with a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), sometimes my games wouldn’t load. But I, like all kids, knew the secret: take out the game cartridge, blow on the contacts, and put it back in. And it seemed to work. (When it failed, I’d just keep trying until it worked.) But looking back, did blowing into the cartridge really help? I’ve talked to the experts, reviewed a study on this very topic, and have the answer. But first, let’s talk tech. The answer is no. Here's why.
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The most ridiculous, yet universally believed, technology myth has to be "rubbing the chip of the bankcard".
Giraffes are not real.
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Getting Web video off your PC and onto your plasma screen used to be a niche activity. No more: Consumer-tracking service NPD says TV sets are now the most popular way to watch streaming video. NPD says 45 percent of consumers report that TV is now their primary Web video screen, up from 33 percent last year. It basically swapped places with the PC... Cutting the cable TV cord.
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In my home I watch infinitely more video on a PC than on a TV. 
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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better code often means less code. I don’t think about lines of code exactly, or something similarly stupid, but in terms of meaningful code. However, argument for less code isn’t about making code as compact as possible, avoid redundancy, etc. The argument is about not writing code at all whenever reasonable or possible. Should we focus on deciding what should and what should not built instead of polishing our software development craft then? How about writing just as much code as necessary?
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Terrence Dorsey wrote: Should we focus on deciding what should and what should not built instead of polishing our software development craft then?
Yes, because "polishing our software development craft" should be left to people that demonstrate a skill at "polishing" - while it's a bad metaphor, just because I drive a car doesn't mean I am qualified to work on the engine. Similarly, there are very good programmers that are very good at what what they do, but I wouldn't want to engage them in the craft of polishing.
Marc
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The build I saw this week was still very much under development, but it looked good and seemed to be relatively bug free. RIM is really pulling out all of the stops for BlackBerry 10, though I worry that waiting until 2013 to release the update may end up killing the OS before it even has a chance to come to market. The smartphone industry moves at an incredible pace... Once the king of the smartphone world, Research In Motion now struggles to stay in the game.
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I'll admit, it has my curiosity. I'm not a Apple fanboi, and I'm still on the fence for Samsung.
/////////////////
-Negative, I am a meat popsicle.
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The backdoor contains code that allows remote attackers to take control of the underlying server running the modified phpMyAdmin, which is a Web-based tool for managing MySQL databases. The PHP script is found in a file named server_sync.php, and it reads PHP code embedded in standard POST Web requests and then executes it. That allows anyone who knows the backdoor is present to execute code of his choice. HD Moore, CSO of Rapid7 and chief architect of the Metasploit exploit package for penetration testers and hackers, told Ars a module has already been added that tests for the vulnerability. Are script kiddies checking your site for a compromised phpMyAdmin?
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Thus, for Windows 8 to break the five-figure app threshold – in a world in which it’s six figures or bust – by launch, the operating system must undergo a massive burst of developer release before its debut. However, looking at the above chart, the Windows Store is growing by under 100 apps per day. Thus, at its current rate, given the time until Windows 8 becomes generally available, we can expect around 5,000 apps to populate its virtual shelves. Remember, however, that not all will be available in all places. Thus, under 5,000 apps for everyone. Are developers waiting for the plaform to ship, or just aren't interested?
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I don't think developers are waiting per-se. I think we are mostly ignoring it for now. While I think Windows 8 is quite nice for tablets and Windows Phone has been impressive for phones (Though consumers and developers are not very interested there either), the desktop world is not particularly excited about it. MS has a lot to prove with this release and so far, I'm not convinced it's the right direction for the desktop - in fact I feel that it is a bad direction. On top of the lack of excitement, MS is now adding a barrier where once there was none - e.g. an app store submission process. That is a major shift for Windows and not something all consumers are excited about.
If these numbers say anything, they say that Windows consumer/B2B app development - in particular new app developments - is not nearly as fast paced as mobile device development. That is not necessarily a bad thing, the desktop is a mature environment and thousands upon thousands of existing apps remain available - just not in the store. If MS wants to play a numbers game with the app store, they can do that in more proactive ways. Right now, MS is placing the responsibilities for app store solely on developers not themselves. For existing consumer and B2B apps, why would I want to go through their process after I've developed an app that is stable, works for my clients and my clients are not asking for it? Why exactly? If MS want's numbers, they can hire the staff to take existing apps and make them available in their store via a search mechanism (e.g. the store provides a single search interface, but doesn't control the installation experience), or by co-opting the MSI installers with a more aspect-oriented approach instead of the current force-a-change approach.
The other things these numbers show is that reporters always want to sensationalize a story.
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If you are developing desktop applications, then you don't have to go through the app store at all. Just because WinRT forces this route doesn't mean we have to follow it - we can continue to develop desktop apps as we always have, and ignore this whole app store. I can see why MS wants us to develop apps and sell them for WinRT, but some solutions work better without this and I, for one, will continue to develop desktop applications.
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I'm more or less ignoring it, Windows 8 Metro/RT development that is.
I'm running Windows 8 on my work PC and home, but have turned off all the metro stuff (and taken great lengths to do so), so it's like Windows 7 but with the nice Windows 8 file copy. I understand devs would have put a lot of hard work into the Metro interface, I just don't like it in a production environment. Or even home actually.
On topic - I gave it a shot, I liked the interface at first, but then it got in the way. I haven't tried Windows 8 on a tablet, it could be nice on that. But I am using it on a touch screen desktop at work - and it's not that nice in my opinion.
I agree with you - I think Microsoft has a lot to prove and I do feel that this may be a bad direction. Microsoft do need to do something, but I'm just not sold this is the correct way. A bit about me - I've been a WinForms developer for ages, started with C++Builder and VCL and now a .NET dude through and through. I've liked MS stuff for ages and love the .NET framework for enterprise and desktop apps. The Windows ecosystem has always been so open, but this direction with Windows RT seems to be the other direction. On Android, I can easily develop an APK file, put it on any device and give it a test. I can't seem to do that with Windows 8. I can remotely debug a device, but even that is limited to x86 CPU's and not ARM.
I'm looking at making a mobile app for phones and tablets but for this app I'm doing - I'm not targeting desktops. I'm targeting people that have tablets that are at the beach or in bed or on a train - people sitting at a desk using a keyboard and mouse is not my target audience. I've looked at various ways to target mobile development. I was thinking target the Windows RT apps, but looking at the market (I know hard to say at this point, you'll have to probably wait a couple years) I don't see the reason to target the Windows platform from an app perspective. I've looked at MonoDroid, PhoneGap, the new DXtreme stuff and so on, but I'm now learning Java through Eclipse and targeting Android devices (first anyways).
I first looked at using VS2012 (which I don't like either, I prefer the colorful environment of VS2010) and creating apps through there and I can quickly create an app and use my existing skillset to develop an app - very fast. Some of the controls are awesome. The simulator is pretty handy. But at the end of the day, I want to write an app that will be found by the largest amount of people. At this point in time, it's Apple and Android. That may change in a couple years, but looking at the Microsoft Store right now - it's a pretty sad state. Some of the apps that have been approved are just ridiculous.
I've been asking heaps of people - what phones do they have? If they get a tablet, what would they get? The general consensus I find is that most people like iPhones/iPads or Androids (or the dumb phone category). Not turning this into a platform war, but Microsoft hardly enters the picture for a lot of people (from what I've found). For mobile devices that is. For my desktop, I wouldn't use anything else. But I don't use Microsoft as a... fun device.
I think what I've written is half on topic, half off, but to just answer the question - I think there is an app shortage, but it's to be expected. As a developer trying to get into mobile development, I just don't see a huge amount of interest in the Windows platform as a mobile device. I could be well wrong here. I work in a software house and no one here runs Microsoft as a mobile device. We run dumb phones, Androids or iPhones. I've asked and taken note of all the clients we serve - I haven't found one person running a Windows device.
That Nokia 920 and the HTC/Samsung devices could change things and well, if I start to see good reviews on those devices and if I actually start to see Windows devices out there carried by the public - I'll re-evaluate my priorities.
So all in all - I want to write an app that reaches the most amount of people. I realize that when new Windows computers come out, they'll have Windows 8. It's just I'm not 100% sure yet that's what people will be getting. Apple products are more popular now and Android devices are nearly at a stage where you can use them as a home computer. I think the day and age of having a computer room is nearly a bygone thing. Crikey's, I have a laptop (Windows 8 now), a pretty decent one I use to develop on. But I wouldn't recommend a Windows tablet nor PC to someone wanting a computer just for internet, basic word processing or games.
It's going to take me time and effort to jump from WinForms development into the mobile world and at present, the order of precedence for me as a developer is:
1) Android
2) iPhone
3) Windows 8
Sorry for the long story!
modified 26-Sep-12 17:11pm.
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Matt Gullett wrote: While I think Windows 8 is quite nice for tablets and Windows Phone has been impressive for phones (Though consumers and developers are not very interested there either), the desktop world is not particularly excited about it.
I've been wondering, what happens if consumers show the same interest, in Windows 8 tablets, as they did in Windows Phone 7 devices? If consumers are already uncomfortable with Windows 8 on their PCs why then would they be eager to have a tablet running the same?
I think developing for WinRT is also a bit of a pain. There's poor documentation, a host of guidelines that must be adhered to, and developer fees for the chance to share your app with the few consumers interested in Windows 8. Added to that is Microsoft's habit of encouraging developers to sail along on some new fancy voyage, full of promise and hope, before they abandon ship without warning. After you've spent time and money learning how to develop for a new platform you're left stranded.
Desktop seems to be the safest bet. Developers and consumers seem to be more comfortable in that arena.
"As beings of finite lifespan, our contributions to the sum of human knowledge is one of the greatest endeavors we can undertake and one of the defining characteristics of humanity itself"
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More or less exactly what I'm thinking.
Documentation for WinRT is a pain. Something as simple as reading a file, although simple now, took a bit of figuring out how to do. Just to get an app running with a database is a pain (going XAML/C#/VB), SQLite is kinda supported, but not out of the box. You need wrappers, but then from what I've found those wrappers are specifically compiled for x86 or ARM and so fourth.
I just want to write an app - and get it out there or even just distribute to friends. There does seem to be a lot of hurdles I have to go through to do that.
As for Windows 8 Metro vs Desktop - developing an application I intend to run on a desktop - I'd go Windows all the way until the market changes. As for developing any kind of mobile device - I wouldn't pick a Microsoft platform.
When the Surface and the Samsung tablets come out - I will go down to the shops and see where people flock to. Right now I just go into random shops selling devices, act like a doofus (well, more of one) and see what the general consensus is right now.
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Meh. It's a fondle slab platform; I can't use those without RSI pain.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Article from Times of India
California took the fast lane to the future on Tuesday when Governor Jerry Brown signed a law that lets self-driving cars onto public roads.
Brown rode to the signing ceremony at Google headquarters in the passenger seat of a vehicle that steered itself, a Prius modified by Google. Google co-founder Sergey Brin and State Senator Alex Padilla, who sponsored the bill, were along for the ride. An engineer for the technology company, Chris Urmson, sat in the driver's seat, but the car drove itself.
"We're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality," Brown said just before signing the bill.
Google has been working on self-driving technology since 2010, including testing a fleet of self-driving cars along California roadways.
Google's driverless cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors, lasers and a database of information collected from manually driven cars to help navigation, according to the company.
The new law goes into effect next year and establishes safety and performance regulations for testing driverless cars, provided an operator is ready to take control if necessary.
However, it will likely take years before a fully self-driving autonomous vehicle hits the road, industry official say.
"I think the self-driving car can really dramatically improve the quality of life," said Brin, who pointed to uses ranging from aiding the blind, ferrying revellers who drank too much, to simply making better use of commuting time.
He added that by driving closer together more safely than human-driven cars, self-driven cars might cut congestion.
But Google has no plans to build its own driverless cars.
"We have had great conversations with a variety of automakers," he said. "Anything we do is going to be in partnership with the industry."
The technology has been in the works since the 1950s, when General Motors showed off "dream cars" with features such as autopilot. Recently, car makers have started incorporating into today's models some elements based on the innovations in those early vehicles, including adaptive cruise control or traffic-jam technologies that can slow the car automatically.
Carmakers developing autonomous technologies include BMW, Ford Motor, General Motors, Honda Motor, Hyundai Motor, Mercedes, Nissan Motor, Toyota Motor, Volkswagen and Volvo, as well as suppliers, technology companies and universities.
Chip company Intel created a $100 million fund in February to invest in future auto technology.
Nevada and Florida have already passed laws allowing self-driving cars.
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Here. Only 2 threads down. 
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Article from Times of India
With hackers revealing that they can hide a code in a web page that will trigger a full factory reset of Samsung's best-selling Galaxy S III smartphone, swiping away contacts, photographs, music, apps and other valuable data, security researchers are under pressure to counter it.
The code, now circulating freely online, comprises of just 11 digits and symbols, and was first revealed at a computer security conference in Argentina.
Ravi Borgaonkar, a researcher based at the Technische Universitat in Berlin, demonstrated how the code can be embedded in malicious text message, or called up in the web browser by a QR code or NFC tag. If an unsuspecting Samsung Galaxy S III owner visits such a page, their smartphone will be restored to its factory settings without permission or any input from them, The Telegraph reports.
Borgaonkar said the whole attack takes just two or three seconds, and once launched, there is nothing a Samsung Galaxy S III owner can do to stop it.
Samsung is now facing calls to issue an immediate software update to address what experts described as a "major security vulnerability".
It has also been revealed that the code can trigger a factory reset on Galaxy S II and other devices that use the Korean firm's version of Google's mobile operating system, Android. All use Samsung's "TouchWiz" interface, the paper said.
Devices from other Android manufacturers will not to be unaffected by the code, Borgaonkar confirmed.
The Galaxy S3 III, introduced in May, is the main rival to Apple's iPhone and Samsung's flagship, with global sales of more than 20 million, the paper added.
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Possibly the same vulnerability covered on Sophos[^]?
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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Finally, a way to get to 127.0.0.1 safely 
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
if you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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